The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1887-03-09

the two houses was held each day when in
session, under the terms of this agree
ment, from the 10th day of January until
the End day of February, on which day
David Turple was elected Senator of the
United States, and the Joint Convention
then adjourned sine die.
In the meantime the pretended Lieuten-
ant Governor had appealed the case in
which he had been beaten upon the appli-
cation for an INDUCTION before the Judge of
the Marion Circuit Court, to the Supreme
Court of Indiana, and the case was there
pending. The court, after full sgreement
and advisement, decided that the suit was
improperly brought into Marion County,
and should have been brought in Allen
County, where the claimant of the Office
of Lieutenant Governor resided. This
decision was rendered on the 23d day of
February, 1887. The judges also delivered
separate opinions, two OF the Supreme
Court, Howk and Mitchell, deciding that
no election fer Lieutenant Governor could
have been, holden lawfully in Novem-
bCr, 1886; three of the Judges holding
that tie court had no jurisdiction of the
subiect-matter of the suit; one of the
Judges, NibIack, deciding expressly that
the Senate had the right, as between two
adverse claimants, to determine for itself
who should be its presiding officer. This
opinion, and these opinions, were hur-
Tiedly certified to and distributed at large
by the Clerk of the Supreme Court, who
wss Republican, among members of the
Legislature. The House of Representa-
tive, on the direction Of its Republican
Speaker, Mr.. Sayre, took up and made a
special order of what he might have
called, This Message from the Supreme
Court" 1t was made the special order.
And before any of the very lengthy
Raa -
all studied or considered, the Republican
majority in the House passed without de-
bate, and under the previous question,
the following resolution
Res olved, by the House of Representa-
tives, That until the House shall be Off
cially informed that Robert S. Robertson
is in the actual and peaceable discharge of
the duties of his Office as such presiding
officer, the House of Representatives must
regard the Senate as illegally and uncon-
stltutionally organized. And no official
communication can be had with them in
order to the due preservation of the Just
rights and responsibilities of this General
Assembly,"
This resolution was passed, notwithstand-
ing the fact that there was nothing in
either of the opinions to support the claims
Of the pretended Lieutenant Governor,
three of the Judges IN fact, the Hon. Alex
ander c. Ayres, Circuit Court Judge, and
Judges HoWk and Mitchell, OF the Supreme
Court, had decided that he was utterly
without right. No Judge of any court at
any time had given the least opinion in
support of his title. Yet the House. over
the protest of the Democratic members
thereof, by this summary, inconsideEate
and wholly unpsrliamentary action, cut
itself Off from communication with the
Senate, obstructed legislation and prevented
the discharge of public business for the
remainder of the session. The fact is, they
deliberately established themselves and
declared themselves to be an insurgent
body, an insurrectionary mob no longer
having intercourse with any coordinate
branch of the Government.
The next day after the passage of this
resolution by the House, the pretended
claimant of the office of Lieutenant-Gov-
ernor having taken means clandestinely to
assemble large number of thugs, bullies
and bruisers for the occasion, under the
auspices Of the Republican conspirat0rs,
against the law, peace and dignity of this
commonwealth, entered the Senate Cham
Der and made an attempt to take the chair
of the President and to address the Senate
upon what he called fhis claims" The
mob outside, meanwhile, being engaged,
urged and encouraged by Republican State
fhceIs and other leaders to force an en-
trance into the hall of the Senate tc compel
the President thereof to abandon his right
full authority and position. At the same
time, Republican members of the Senate
with few exceptions, were employed in
aiding and abetting Robertson in his at
tempt by force to seize the duties of the
chair, and in countenancing and encour-
aging the the gang of ruffians on the out
side in their attempts to break into the
Senate Chamber. These attempts failed.
The claimant was expelled from
the Senate Chamber, the mob was
repulsed, and the Senate, after
great risk, danger and hazard, was re-
stored to order and quiet, with President
Smith in the chair. The pretended Lieu
tenant-Governor was not struck at all. The
only person who received a blow in the
melee was an old Union soldier, an old men,
Der of the Legislature, Senator Mcdonald,
from Allen, and Whitley. who, with great
dignity, refused then and there to resent
it, and told the Republican Senator who
bad struck him that that was not proper
place to settle difficulties between gentle
men. This scene of disgraceful violence
offered to the members and officers of the
Senate of Indiana was the direct result,
the outgrowth of that Republican con-
spiracy which had resolved, at all haz-
ards, and in disregard of every law, to OBJ
tain control OF the legislative bodies. There
was nothing in the opinion of the Supreme
Court to justify it or cause this base-born
insurrection against authority. That opiu-
ion had determined nothing against the
rights of Smith as Presidsnt OF the Senate,
and had added not a jot or title to the
value OF the worthless pretentions of the
person who claimed to be Lieutenant
Governor.
The question rested, at the time this
scandalous gang OF miscreants attacked
the Senate Chamber, just where it did at
One party claimed that there had been a
that there was none. Republicans claimed
been inducted into cffice; the other claimed
supported by an undeniable forgery, to
which the Speaker of the House had given
the sanction of his name, IN stating that
the Senate and House had met for the pur-
pose of canvassiDg the votes for Lieuten-
ant-Governor, when, in fact and in truth,
he knew, and every person else knew, who
was present at the time, or at all attempted
TO ascertain what the facts were, that only
nineteen Senators had attended that meet
ing, and that the Senate had refused and
absolutely declined to attend any such
meeting, the Senate having adjudged, as it
had the right to do that there had been no
election Of Lieutenant-G Governor, and that
there were no votes to be counted. In this
the action of the Senate was supported by
the unbroken precedent in Indiana, and
by usage in all the other States, which
have guch an officer as Iieutenant-Gov-